We won’t allow any group to undermine KNUST management – Otumfuo warns

The Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology [KNUST], the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has warned that disorder by students, alumni or any group within the University will not be tolerated.

The Asantehene made the remarks after the swearing in of new members on the University’s Governing Council on Tuesday following student protests that led to the closure of the school for nearly three weeks.

“Yes, a university is nothing if not a hotbed of free expression, and the penchant for rigorous debate, must be one of the intrinsic values we inculcate in our students. But defiance and disorder can never be part of those values and it should be abundantly clear that neither students or alumni or any group in the University shall be allowed to dictate or conduct itself in a manner that undermines the integrity of management.”

“Nothing should be done to hamstring the council from either discharging their duty to develop the policies for the running of the University in accordance with its statutes nor encourage students to feel they have the right to defy authority or cherry pick rules they choose to obey.”

The protests erupted after the arrest of 10 students and one alumnus of the school.

The students were arrested for a holding vigil on campus without permission, according to the school authorities.

One other student who was allegedly mistreated by the internal security was hospitalized at the KNUST hospital and later discharged.

The Police arrested 20 students following the incident, who were later granted bail. A day later, the school was closed down indefinitely.

The school will now be reopened on Friday, November 16, 2018 after a meeting of the new governing council on Tuesday.

The school’s council will consult the Ashanti Regional Security Council with the aim of having it withdraw military and police personnel to allow for smooth academic activities to resume on Monday.

The proposed plan for the reopening was put across by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who is Chancellor of the University.

The Asantehene also plans to institute a committee to be led by a Judge and four others to investigate the circumstances that led to the closure of the school, Mr. Yeboah remarked.

The new KNUST Governing Council has six new members comprising Nana Effah Apenteng, a retired diplomat, and Omanhene of Bompata traditional Area; Hilda Hagar Ampadu, public health specialist, Stephen Anoff Amoaning-Yankson, President of the Ghana Institute of Engineers, Alex Quaynor, a private legal practitioner, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah and Alhaji Yakub A.B. Abubakar.